Extra closure of Bridge Street for Bank Holiday weekend

The road has been closed to traffic between 10pm and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights since the end of November 2009.* The aim of the closure is to increase public safety in the area, reducing congestion on the pavements and cutting the risk of crime and disorder.

It is expected that the town centre will be busy on the Sunday night, as people take advantage of the long weekend, so Bridge Street will also be closed between 10pm on Sunday, August 29 and 4am the next day, using special powers under Section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. This Act allows the road to be closed for a particular event.

Similar, additional closures of Bridge Street took place on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2009 - which fell on Thursdays - and proved to be very effective.

On Spring Bank Holiday Sunday, May 30, however, large crowds of people in the street spilled into the road, causing problems for motorists. In response, the Northampton Community Safety Partnership has taken the decision to close the road this bank holiday Sunday to allow better management of queues and crowds and ensure public safety.

A new, web-based consultation on the Bridge Street closure policy will begin early in September. This will give businesses, residents and other people who use the town centre another opportunity to say what they think about the scheme and provide feedback for the Northampton Community Safety Partnership when evaluating how well the closure has worked during the busy summer months.

A spokesman for the Northampton Community Safety Partnership commented: "This closure should prevent the problem that happened in May from recurring and ensure that everyone who wants to visit Northampton to use the town's restaurants, theatres and other facilities can walk easily and safely through Bridge Street."

The Northampton Community Safety Partnership consists of Northampton Borough Council, Northamptonshire Police, and Northamptonshire County Council, which include Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, and other partners.